Abstract

I argue that some authoritative criticisms of Strauss as a reader of Plato are mostly based on false premisses and misunderstandings concerning his fundamental hermeneutical principles. The following points are discussed: 1) reading a philosophical text requires the provisional recognition of the author as a possible authority; 2) while philosophy consists in adequately grasping the fundamental philosophical problems, the philosophical problems themselves cannot find conclusive answers; 3) some of the reasons for esoteric and exoteric writing in philosophy and in Plato specifically; 4) the debate with Kojève on the relationship between the philosopher’s subjective certainty, truth, and political recognition; 5) the dialectic and zetetic nature of the Platonic dialogue; 6) the nature and function of Socratic irony in Plato and Xenophon. I consider specific passages from Strauss’s lectures on the Symposium, which allow for new insights and open fruitful possibilities to the interpreters of Plato.

Did Hegel elaborate a metaphilosophy? If he did, how should we understand it? My contribution attempts to answer this question. I will first explore the basic features usually attributed to the metaphilosophical inquiry by contemporary philosophers. Second, I will discuss three paradigmatic positions on Hegel’s stance towards metaphilosophy. My first two argumentative steps will serve …

The article aims to understand the notion of the contemporary relevance of Hegel’s Philosophy of Art. It does not address whether or not Hegelian Philosophy of Art is (or can be) relevant for the present, but instead addresses the very problem of its relevance. I investigate the meaning, the modalities, the limits, and the potentialities …